NEWS RELEASE


Bow Valley College graduate determined to change people’s lives

CALGARY, January 9, 2009 – Kristina McGuire is one of 414 learners poised to become the newest members of Bow Valley College’s family of alumni.

BVC will hold its Winter 2009 graduation Monday, January 12, with McGuire designated as the Health and Community Care department’s valedictorian.

McGuire was working as a customer service representative at Scotiabank in 2005 when her father became ill. She was inspired to change her career path after watching nurses help her father during his therapy following a brain hemorrhage.

“It changed my focus entirely and made me determined to be that kind of change in people’s lives,” she says.

She learned of the Practical Nursing Diploma at Bow Valley College and immediately enrolled.

“I have enjoyed BVC’s small, community feeling,” says McGuire, whose father is a registered nurse and whose mother and sister are licensed practical nurses. “While getting an excellent education, our faculty is close-knit enough to feel like a family. All the instructors are tremendous and so ready to impart their knowledge, life experience, and advice.”

McGuire already has enrolled at University of Athabasca to attain her nursing degree.

She is joined as class valedictorian by Iris Heidebrecht, Academic Foundations, and Ferdinand Valdez, Business and Industry.

Bill Davis, the top individual philanthropist under the Association of Fundraising Professional’s 2008 Generosity of Spirit Program, is guest speaker for the event. BVC Board Chair Scott Thon also will address the class.

The public is welcome to attend.

What: BVC Spring Graduation
Where: Jack Singer Concert Hall
The EPCOR Centre for the Performing Arts
205 8 Avenue SE
When: Monday, January 12, 2009
2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

All media are invited to attend Bow Valley College’s Spring Graduation ceremony. Photo opportunities and interviews may be arranged.

Bow Valley College, with more than 11,000 full- and part-time students, is a leader in health and business career training, adult upgrading, and English as a Second Language. BVC’s Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES), workplace training for immigrant professionals, and employment services provide a wide range of services for business and professionals.

Biographies

Valedictorians
Iris Heidebrecht, Academic Foundations
Iris Heidebrecht tried a variety of career paths after leaving high school in Port Alberni, B.C. She recently decided she wanted more and discovered Bow Valley College could offer her the guidance she needed to succeed in her studies. With support from College staff and instructors, Iris’s fear of failure fell away and turned into a joy for learning. She’s staying at BVC to attain her Hospital Unit Clerk Certificate.

“The experience I’ve had at this College is so hard to put into words. It’s been better than I could have imagined,” Iris says.

Ferdinand Valdez, Business & Industry
In hopes of creating a better future for his family, Ferdinand Valdez immigrated to Canada in 2007, after working in Saudi Arabia for eight years. With the realization he would require a Canadian education to advance in his career, Ferdinand found Bow Valley College offered the right program fit for his previous education and work experience, as well as his busy family life and part-time work schedule. He graduates with his Accounting and Financial Management Certificate and has aspirations to become a Certified General Accountant.

“I found the program to be intense, fast, and focused but it eventually became exciting (exhausting and frustrating, sometimes). Studying brings its own pleasure and rewards,” Ferdinand says.

Kristina McGuire, Health & Community Care
A career in banking didn’t seem fulfilling enough for Kristina McGuire after her father almost died in 2005. During his treatment for a brain hemorrhage, she saw how nurses change people’s lives and decided to follow in her family’s footsteps. She discovered the Practical Nursing Diploma at Bow Valley College, where she developed a second family.

“All the instructors are tremendous and so ready to impart not only knowledge but life experience and advice,” Kristina says.

Keynote Speaker
Bill Davis
No stranger to the oil and gas industry in Alberta, Bill Davis is the President, CEO, and Director of Profound Energy Inc. Bill also served as a Campaign Cabinet member of Bow Valley College’s inaugural and highly successful fundraising campaign, Improving Lives Beyond the Classroom. Recently, he gathered together like-minded individuals to create the $1-million Calgary Energy Partners Child Care Initiative bursary—ensuring parents and their children can benefit from post-secondary education. Bill Davis was named the top individual philanthropist under the Association of Fundraising Professional’s 2008 Generosity of Spirit Program.